Silent Stalker
by Sailor Elf
Summary: Thefts are taking place and they are done in the same style as the former 'Silent Stalker'. Michelle. Can Frank and company prove it wasn't her, even though the evidence points right in her direction?
1. Silent Stalker Strikes Again

Disclaimer-Noone belongs to me. Not even Frank. (Darnit!). Michelle, Captain Gracer and any other original characters belong to me.  
  
Summary-Thefts are taking place and they are done in the same style as the former 'Silent Stalker'. Michelle. Can Frank and company prove it wasn't her, even though the evidence points right in her direction?  
  
Author's Note-Deana, thanks again for betaing this for me. (sniff). I wouldn't gotten anywhere without you.  
  
******  
  
The Silent Stalker  
  
A man was walking down a street, lit up only by the lamposts. He nervously looked from side to side. He heard stories about somebody in these parts but he wasn't trying to let that scare him. He hurried down the street. He heard footsteps behind him and sped up his pace a bit until he ran into a body he didn't see.  
  
"I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going," came a female voice.  
  
"Don't worry about it," the man replied as he got a better look at who he ran into. "Why's a young girl like you doing out this late?"  
  
"I'm alright. My home is nearby. I'm headed there now but I ran into you. Sorry to have caused you any trouble," she told him.  
  
The girl giggled before she hurried away from the man. He was confused by this action until he reached into his pocket.  
  
"My wallet! It's gone!" he cried.  
  
He pulled back his sleeve to see his watch was mising as well. He looked in the direction the young girl headed in. He became angry.  
  
"That was an expensive watch," he growled. "If I ever find you, you will pay for that dearly."  
  
***  
  
Michelle walked into The Nest, throwing her bookbag on the couch as Frank followed her inside, carrying a cup of coffee. Michelle saw that Cody was there, typing away at the computer. The man turned around and smiled once he saw the two.  
  
"Good morning Frank, Michelle," Cody told him.  
  
Frank nodded as he placed the cup on the table.  
  
"What're you doing?" wondered Frank.  
  
"Nothing much though I am checking a bit up on this rash of thefts we've been having lately. Apparently, somebody's been taking up Michelle's old job of pick-pocketing. Sometimes out in broad daylight. Now that's daring if you ask me," Cody replied as the others walked into the room and up to them.  
  
"Cody, Michelle did the exact same thing when she took my wallet. Not only did she take it in broad daylight, she didn't realize it at first that she took it from a Federal Agent," Frank reminded him.  
  
"Oh yeah. That's right," Cody said with a small laugh. "How could I forget?"  
  
At that moment, Captain Gracer walked in the door .  
  
"Hi Captain Dork. How are things down at the precinct?" she replied with a huge smile on her face.  
  
"Watch your mouth Mika," Frank told her as she held out her arms. "We help Captain Gracer with several of his cases. I know you two haven't gotten along too well but do so at least this time."  
  
"You helping us with our cases is exactly why I'm here. It's about these thefts that have been occuring lately. The style of them is strikingly similar to a pattern I've seen before. That of the 'Silent Stalker'," he told them, causing Michelle to perk up.  
  
"What happened to this 'Silent Stalker' again? I seem to remember you saying something about this person before," wondered Jake.  
  
"Last time I checked, she was adopted by Frank Donovan. I told you when you first brought her in to me who she was known as around the precinct We knew who she was, who we had to bring in. It's just nobody could catch her to do so until she met up with you five," Gracer told them.  
  
Michelle snorted before sitting down next to Frank. She appeared to be very angry.  
  
"You don't mean..." started Alex.  
  
"That's exactly like I mean. It's the style of the 'Silent Stalker' and she's it," Gracer told them.  
  
"I don't care what you say Gracer, I'm not doing it this time," Michelle told him.  
  
"Captain Gracer, I know Michelle's not doing this. She's changed since she's come to stay with me. Just ask her school," Frank replied.  
  
"But still Frank, she's the only person I know that has done something in this fashion," Gracer said. "I didn't like the idea either. Even though you don't like me too much."  
  
Michelle gave an 'yeah right' look before she got up and headed for her bookbag. The adults watched her as she started on her homework. The team looked at Gracer again.  
  
"She's not doing this Gracer. The Michelle Hana that was the 'Silent Stalker' no longer exists," Alex told him.  
  
"What you have now is Michelle Donovan, the daughter of a Federal Agent. I think Frank would've noticed something by now if she was doing this," Cody piped up.  
  
"I understand but she will have to come in for questioning sooner or later because it's her pattern," Gracer told them.  
  
"Alright, I'll bring her in later," Frank told him.  
  
"Good. If it isn't her, it might not be easy to prove," the officer told them before he left.  
  
Michelle walked up behind Frank and put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Frank, I'm not doing it," she quietly said.  
  
"I know you aren't," Frank replied as he put a hand on hers.  
  
***  
  
After supper was eaten, Frank drove down to the police station with Michelle. The entire trip was quiet. They walked into the building and headed towards Gracer's office. They passed a man at the desk along the way.  
  
"I tell you. She took my wallet and watch! I'd like to get those back!" he cried as he turned around.  
  
He couldn't help but stare at the girl walking past him.  
  
"It's her! She did it! She took my stuff! Arrest her!" he cried out as he pointed at her.  
  
Frank and Michelle stopped and looked at each other.  
  
"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. I've never met you before," she said as she headed towards him.  
  
Get back! You'll just take more of my things!" he screamed as he tried to get away from her. "It's her! It's her!"  
  
TBC... 


	2. Out for a Walk

Gracer walked out of his office to hear the commotion. He hurried between the teen and man.  
  
"Excuse me sir but how can we help you sir?" demanded Gracer.  
  
"You can help me by arresting her! She's the one who stole my things!" the man angrily replied.  
  
"I don't know what he's talking about Gracer! I've never seen him before in my life," Michelle told the captain.  
  
Gracer looked between the man and teen before motioning for them to follow him. They went into his office where Gracer gave a sigh.  
  
"You say this young lady is the one who stole from you, is that correct?" he asked the man.  
  
"Yes, it is. I never forget a face and that is the same one," he replied as he angrily looked at the teen. "Now give me back my wallet and watch you brat!"  
  
He lunged for the teen but Frank stepped in the way and he ran into the Federal Agent, who glared at him with anger in his eyes.  
  
"How dare you accuse my daughter of stealing. She hasn't done anything like that since she came to live with me," Frank told the man as he crossed his arms.  
  
The man growled as he stared back.  
  
"Come now. Let's act like grown men here. Listen, there's no way of convicting her unless she has some stolen goods on her or someone else saw her that night as well, then there's nothing we can really do," Gracer told the man. "Besides, I know this girl and as far as I know, she didn't do it. We asked her to come here for another reason."  
  
"Why? What'd she so? Rob someone else? Wouldn't be surprised if it was," the man snorted as he started to head towards the door.  
  
He stopped with his hand on the doorknob as he gazed back at them.  
  
"And just to let you know brat, the name's Chad. Chad Bond. It's just so you know the name of your latest victim," he snarled at her before walking out the door.  
  
"Gee, what's with 'Grumpy'? Believe me, I never saw him before in my life. I remember a good portion of the people I've met and he's not one of them. Whether it be now or before," Michelle told Gracer.  
  
"Michelle Donovan, are you sure? You probably made yourself several enemies during your reign," Frank said.  
  
"Donovan?" asked Gracer.  
  
"I really wanted the name change. Wanted to leave Hana behind so badly, I could see it disappearing further and further away because of my attitude. Wanted to leave behind the memories and torment. Now that I have, this comes up. Someone's out to get me. I can feel it," she explained with a small smile. "After being sought after for two years, I can tell."  
  
"I don't believe this," mumbled Gracer.  
  
Sarah growled and stood before him.  
  
"Gracer, you try and imagine losing your parents when you're 12 and even better, watching them getting murdered by a madman, who's been after your tail for two years," she angrily told him. "Just don't get on my nerves, please. Ever since Frank and the others brought me in several weeks ago, you've been on my case ever since. I'm tired of it!" she yelled at the police officer.  
  
Frank put his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"Calm down," he told her in a quiet voice. "Let him ask you the questions and then we'll go home."  
  
Michelle gave a sigh as they sat down and the questioning began.  
  
***  
  
The two walked into the apartment. Michelle walked into her room and threw her bookbag by her bed and she collapsed onto the covers as Frank stood in th door.  
  
"What's wrong?" he asked her as he sat down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"This whole mess," she replied as she put her hands over her face. "I thought I could leave the name of 'Silent Stalker' behind me. I guess it won't ever leave me alone. Frank, you know I'm not doing this."  
  
"I do know that it's not you Mika. I would be able to tell if you were or not," Frank replied. "Now get yourself to bed, you've got school tomorrow."  
  
Michelle gave a laugh as he walked out of the room and she climbed into bed.  
  
***  
  
The sound of a phone ringing just after 12 aroused Frank from his sleep. He climbed out of the bed and towards the phone. He picked it up.  
  
"Hello?" he said.  
  
"Frank! We've got some news for you!" came Jake's voice.  
  
"Jake? What are you doing calling at this time of night?" asked Frank as he rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Well, to be honest, Gracer called us after you and Michelle left the station earlier and he said he would call us if any more thefts took place and then we were supposed to call you and ask about Michelle," admitted Jake. "There was another theft just recently."  
  
Frank walked over to Michelle's room and peeked inside only to see noone in the bed.  
  
"I'll call you back Jake," Frank told him before hanging up.  
  
He hurried into the room and saw there truly was noone in the room. He walked out of the room only to see the door carefully opening. He grabbed his gun and prepared himself for the intruder.  
  
Only to find Michelle quietly walking into the apartment. She looked around before her stare came to Frank.  
  
"Frank! What're you doing up?" she frantically asked him.  
  
"I was just about to ask you the same thing. I just got a call from Jake saying there was another theft and now there's this," Frank told her. "Now go to your room and we'll talk about this in the morning."  
  
"But Frank, it wasn't me! I was out taking a walk! I sometimes do that in the middle of the night because I'm unused to it!" she argued as she headed for the room. "If you would only listen to me!"  
  
"No. Go to your room and we'll discuss this later. You're staying there until you have to get ready for school," he told her.  
  
Michelle sighed as she climbed back into bed after throwing a bag underneath her bed.  
  
***  
  
In the morning, Michelle was quickly getting ready for school. She gulped down the juice before heading for the door, rushing past Frank.  
  
"Bye Frank. See you after school at The Nest!" she called to him before she ran out the door.  
  
Frank didn't answer before he headed out the door himself.  
  
***  
  
He silently walked into The Nest. He put down the files in his hands. Cody walked in and hurried up to the computer.  
  
"Got to mark the latest attack from last night," he muttered to himself as his hands began moving on the keyboard.  
  
The other three walked in and walked up to Frank.  
  
"So Frank, where was she last night?" wondered Jake.  
  
"She was coming in the door just after you called. She swears she didn't do anything, that she was only taking a walk though a person has to wonder," Frank told them.  
  
"That's a coincidence though. We'd have to have more evidence to prove that it wasn't just a walk like she says but we all know she's telling the truth," Monica told them.  
  
Frank now sat quietly on the couch as he watched the others carefully.  
  
***  
  
Michelle slowly walked into The Nest. She cautiously glanced from side to side before starting to head towards the couch. Before she could get there, she noticed Jake and Cody.  
  
"Jake, Cody, hi," she gasped.  
  
"Hi Michelle. How're you doing?" wondered Cody.  
  
"Good," she cautiously told them. "What's wrong now?"  
  
"Michelle, are you being honest with us?" asked Jake.  
  
"Yes, I am. Remember that this is Michelle Donovan you're talking to, not Michelle Hana. You don't believe me?" she replied.  
  
"In the end, I guess I do. You've changed from the person you once were. Besides, we'd need more evidence that what we have. We only have a stream of thefts that are similar to what you used to do," Jake told her with a smile as the other three walked inside.  
  
"Michelle, how was school today?" Monica asked her.  
  
"Good. Could be better. I'm still not used to studying still," she replied as she threw her bookbag on the couch.  
  
She immediately turned around. Frank had to do a double take once he looked at some of the contents inside. The others followed his gaze and saw the same things in one of the compartments.  
  
Wallets and other stolen objects.  
  
TBC... 


	3. Figuring Things Out

"Listen, I have no idea where those came from," she told them as they all looked at the contents.  
  
Alex walked over to it and took a better look inside of it.  
  
"Yeah, there's several wallets and other personal items in here. We'd better take her down to the police station for further questioning and we'll take these with us," she suggested as she picked up the bag.  
  
"Michelle, how could you?" Jake asked her, anger tinting his voice.  
  
"Shows how much your faith in me had disappeared, even when the 'evidence' proves nothing. How do you know it was my hand that put those things there?" she replied.  
  
"Well, it's your school bag. What else do we need?" wondered Jake. "Besides, it's your specialty."  
  
"Come on now. Let's just go and settle this later," Monica said as she stepped between them.  
  
Alex pulled Michelle out to the car as the others followed her.  
  
***  
  
Down at the police station, Gracer looked at the numerous wallets and objects in the bookbag. Michelle was sitting in a chair, her head in her hand, which was leaning on the chair.  
  
"Michelle, I simply can't believe this. Even after you specifically told me that you didn't," Gracer practically yelled at her.  
  
"Gracer, it's not me! Somone planted them there to make it look like I did it!" Michelle screamed back at him, the tears falling down her face.  
  
"This proves otherwise Michelle. I need you to stay in our custody until this situation is all over. Unless these people, whom you call your friends, can prove it wasn't you, something has to be done," Gracer replied as he sat in his chair.  
  
Monica stepped forward.  
  
"She didn't do this! I'm sure we can prove that it wasn't her!" Monica told him.  
  
Gracer looked carefully over the team before giving a sigh.  
  
"I'll give you a week. That's all I will give you. If you don't find anything within that time that'll prove her innocence, I'll have to do something with her," Gracer told them before he stood up and walked towards the window.  
  
He stared out it, gazing over the scenery, hands behind his back. The team looked at each other, determination written in their eyes.  
  
***  
  
Back at The Nest, the five were gathered around the table, looking at the information in front of them about Michelle.  
  
"It doesn't make sense," Monica absently said.  
  
"What doesn't?" wondered Alex.  
  
"What happened earlier with her bookbag. Michelle was, and is, not the type to leave evidence out in the open like that. Before we met her and Frank taking her in, she had several things belonging to people. She gave those back, of course, but that's not the point. She had them stored in a box that was in her closet. She didn't carry them around with her!" Monica explained to them.  
  
"You're right! She never carried things around that could easily ID her as the 'Silent Stalker' and be dealt with accordingly!" Cody agreed.  
  
"Maybe the person, or persons, causing this have something against either you, her or even both!" Alex suggested to Frank.  
  
"It's possible. Very possible but who would it be?" mused Frank as he walked away from the group. "Michelle could've easily made several enemies over the past two years as have I since I started to work here so it could be almost anybody."  
  
Jake remained quiet through the entire discussion. He was thinking about something else.  
  
'Frank said the man recognized Michelle as the one who stole from him. If she didn't do it, then who did? Does she have a twin sister? If she knew, she would've told us. Maybe it was someone dressed up like her? We have to find out,' he thought to himself.  
  
Alex glanced over at Jake, who appeared to be deep in thought.  
  
"Hey Jake, what's wrong?" she asked him as she walked oer to him.  
  
He was startled out of his daze and he looked at her.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about something else," he replied with a smile.  
  
"Of course you were," Alex told him before heading back to the others.  
  
"I suggest we take a look around her room. Maybe there's something in there that will show she's not the one doing this," suggested Monica as she gazed over in Frank's direction.  
  
The others soon followed suit as Frank gazed back at them. He nodded.  
  
"Let's go. Maybe we'll find something," he agreed as he turned to do out the door.  
  
But he stopped a few feet away and he turned around.  
  
"Cody, I want you to stay here and work at that computer. Maybe you can find something that'll help us," he told him.  
  
Cody nodded before he sat in front of the computer and started to type as the others walked out of the building.  
  
***  
  
Alex opened the drawer in the nightstand and looked inside. She moved a few things around before sighing and closing it. She looked over at the others searching the room.  
  
"There appears to be nothing here. It looks like the room...of a typical 14- year-old," she told them as she walked to the middle of the room. "I don't think there's anything else we can expect to find."  
  
"I don't think so either. This is the room of a teenager," Jake agreed as he and Frank joined her.  
  
Monica noticed the bag underneath the bed and pulled it out a bit, looking at it. She opened it up slightly.  
  
"What's in it?" asked Jake.  
  
"It's a video camera. We should take this back with us. Maybe it'll show something that happened one of therse nights that she said she was out taking a walk," she replied as she carefully picked it up.  
  
The others nodded as they walked out of the room and headed downstairs.  
  
***  
  
Back at The Nest, they found Cody still at the computer.  
  
"Did you find anything?" asked Monica.  
  
"Well, I've got the names of the several victims that Michelle had plus the names of the victims of the new spree. Even where they were when their belongings gotten stolen," he told them.  
  
"And how is that going to help us exactly? It isn't," Jake replied. "And here I thought you were actually going to get something while we were gone."  
  
Cody looked at Jake with an 'I don't believe you' look as the camera was pulled out of the bag.  
  
"Well, let's see what's on this camera," Monica said with a sigh.  
  
"Where'd she get such a good camera?" wondered Cody.  
  
"I'm not sure. I'll have to ask her about it," Frank said to him as Monica started the camera.  
  
She watched the images move on the viewer before her before closing it and shaking her head.  
  
"No, it's nothing. It looks like a school project she's doing, nothing more," she told them.  
  
She carefully put the camera back into the bag just before bullets rang out. The windows shattered and everyone ducked. It only lasted a few seconds though it seemed like an eternity.  
  
Cody climbed to his feet where he was by the desk. Jake glanced to both sides before standing up.  
  
"What was that all about? Is everybody fine?" he asked as he saw Monica and Alex get to their feet.  
  
"Yeah, we're fine," Alex said.  
  
"Maybe it was someone trying to deter us from the case. This shows it couldn't have been Michelle," suggested Monica as she looked from side to side. "Um, where's Frank?"  
  
That got the attention of the others until they came to Frank's prone body on the floor. They saw the blood all over his clothes and on the floor.  
  
"Frank!" they all cried.  
  
TBC... 


	4. Dead Ends to Asking Questions

They hurried over to Frank and crowded around him.  
  
"Frank! Wake up!" Monica told him as she gently touched his shoulder.  
  
They heard a moan come from the man as he slowly tried to climb to his feet. Jake and Cody reached out to help and they brought Frank to the couch, where they found a graze on his left upper arm.  
  
"Frank, are you alright?" asked Alex.  
  
"I'll be fine," he replied, breathing heavily. "Now where do we go from here? The tape doesn't help us and neither does the info that Cody found."  
  
"We'll figure that out later Frank. Now, I think we should get you to a hospital and get that injury checked. Remember the last time you got shot? That was bad enough atop your other injuries from that bomb blast," Jake told him with an 'uh-huh' in his voice.  
  
"I told you I'll be fine. We have to find proof that Mika had nothing to do with any of this," Frank said in a quiet voice.  
  
"We will Frank but we can't do that if you're dead or unconscious, unable to help us," Alex told him.  
  
The four looked at each other, all of them knowing that he should really see a doctor as he slowly tried to climb to his feet.  
  
"Frank, don't. Take it easy for the moment while we gather what we need before we go to the police station," Jake said to him as he and Cody held him down in a sitting position.  
  
Frank reluctantly obeyed as the others gather a few things. Cody grabbed the information he got earlier, even though he knew that the others didn't think it was important.  
  
"Cody, that isn't going to help us," Jake told him.  
  
"You don't think so, but I do! I think some of Michelle's intuition is starting to rub off on me. I keep thinking that it will help us somehow," Cody replied as he took one final gaze over the names before putting the sheets under his arm.  
  
Alex glanced over at Frank, who now had his eyes closed. 'That's odd,' she thought as she cautiously walked up to the man. She gently shook his shoulder to find he didn't awaken by her movement or even her touch.  
  
"Um, guys, we might have a problem here!" she called over to the others.  
  
They hurried over to Alex and Frank to find him with his eyes closed and limp on the couch.  
  
"We should get him to the hospital!" Alex cried.  
  
A groan came from Frank as they looked at him. Jake grabbed Frank's arm to find the sleeve wet with blood. He gasped once he saw that the couch was filled with the red liquid.  
  
"He's passed out from the amount of blood he's lost! Cody, help me get him into the car. We have to get him there right now!" Jake said as Cody handed his papers to Monica.  
  
They got Frank to his feet and the man stumbled a bit.  
  
"This is bad!" Cody exclaimed as they took Frank out to the car.  
  
They drove to the hospital and quickly brought Frank inside.  
  
"What happened?" asked a doctor who hurried up to them.  
  
"He was shot just recently in his left arm. He's lost a lot of blood already," replied Alex.  
  
The doctor nodded as other people hurried up to them with a stretcher, and carefully laid Frank down.  
  
"He'll be taken care of," the doctor told them.  
  
The team nodded worriedly as they watched Frank being taken away.  
  
***  
  
"Where's his BP at?" asked the doctor.  
  
"His BP is low and dropping and he's losing quite a bit of blood," was the reply.  
  
"Then let's get that wound taken care of before he loses even more," the doctor ordered.  
  
***  
  
The team patiently waited in the waiting room for any news on Frank, until the doctor came out to them. They hurried over to him.  
  
"How is he?" asked Monica.  
  
"He'll be fine. It was a good thing you brought him in. If you'd waited too much later, he wouldn't be as good a shape. He did lose a lot of blood from the injury but he should be all right to leave in a few days. He hasn't woken up yet and I expect him to be out for a few more hours," the doctor told them.  
  
The four sighed as the doctor walked away from them.  
  
"He'll probably want to get out as soon as he's awake, knowing Frank," sighed Alex.  
  
"Of course, but we still have to find some more evidence for Michelle," Jake said.  
  
"Where do we start? The only lead we could have, the video, is a dead-end and the little else that we found does no better," Cody told him.  
  
"Well, if we can't find anything, then there's only one thing that I can think of that we can do," Monica piped up, a hand up to her chin.  
  
"What?" the three asked as they stared at her.  
  
"Asking the person whose life is on the line," she told them.  
  
***  
  
Michelle sat on the bunk, eyes closed, thoughts running through her head about the entire situation. She'd had a bad feeling earlier and she didn't know why.  
  
'I hope Frank's alright,' she thought to herself as she heard the cell door open.  
  
She opened her eyes to see Gracer standing there. She sat up as she looked at him with a lopsided smile. "What do you want, Gracer?" she asked him, impatience written in her voice.  
  
"You've got some visitors. Now come on, they're waiting," he told her.  
  
She followed Gracer to a room where she saw Monica, Cody and Jake waiting for her. She was a bit confused to see them.  
  
"I can leave her here with you," Gracer told them group before leaving the room.  
  
"Alright. What brings you here to see me?" she asked them curiously as she sat down. "And where's Frank and Alex?"  
  
"Michelle, we need your help. Right now, Frank's in the hospital. We were attacked in The Nest earlier today and he was injured. We were hoping you tell us anything of value," Jake explained.  
  
Michelle looked shocked, gazing between the three of them. "What could I ever tell you that would help?" she asked.  
  
"Well, you could tell us if there are any enemies you have that would do something like this," Cody said.  
  
Michelle snickered as she glanced at the table. The three looked at each other in confusion.  
  
"You really think so? Well, the man was mistaken. It's not me and it's not easy for the next person to throw on a black wig and pose as me. Look at me!" she cried, standing up.  
  
"Michelle, we realize that. We know your mother was Japanese and your father was American. Cody looked the info up and we can still hear the accent in your voice from when you lived in Tokyo for the three years before you moved here. We know you came to Chicago about a year before the murder of your parents," Monica told her with a sigh. "But that's not what we're looking for. Any ideas on who it might be?"  
  
Michelle sat back down before she put on a pensive look. "To be honest with you, it could be anyone. I know of several people who want to see me dead," Michelle replied as she put a hand on the back of her neck. Her eyes showed remembrance as her head perked up.  
  
"Michelle, what is it?" Cody eagerly asked.  
  
"I have an idea on who it could be. Jenna Shasa and her father, John. I happened to take his wallet during one of my major sprees a couple years ago. He saw me and swore to get back at me once he got the chance to. I found out afterwards that I inadvertently put him in jail and he just happens to be Chinese, his wife happens to be American," Michelle told them. "I even go to the same school as Jenna and she's a year older than me."  
  
" So that would make Jenna half-Chinese! If one only got a quick glance at the person, you could easily mix up Japanese and Chinese people," Jake said.  
  
"Now all we have to do is find evidence that'll prove Jenna and her father did this and free Michelle," Jake said. "But where could we start?"  
  
"I'd like to say we start with Michelle," Cody said as he stepped forward. "Where can we find proof that you didn't do the stealing?"  
  
Jake's and Monica nodded at Cody's suggestion.  
  
TBC... 


	5. One Lead to Another

Monica and Jake looked at Cody for a moment before returning to Michelle.  
  
"Well, I'm going with what Cody said. Anything you can tell us that'll help prove your innocence to the thefts at least?" asked Monica.  
  
Michelle sighed as she looked at the table.  
  
"Well, there's not much I can tell you but that night I was out and Frank caught me, I was down at the docks. I've been friends with the people who work there for years. They can vouch for me," she finally replied. "By the way, did you find my camera?"  
  
The three looked at each other.  
  
"Yes, we did. What about it?" asked Jake. "It looked like a school project to us. It serves no purpose to us. Why do you even mention it?"  
  
Michelle sighed and looked away.  
  
"No, nothing important. Don't worry about it, it's nothing," she quietly told them.  
  
At that moment, a knock came to the door and Gracer opened the door and walked inside.  
  
"Listen, this interview's over. She's got to go back," Gracer told them.  
  
Michelle perked up a bit once she heard that.  
  
"I have to know one thing before they go. How's Frank doing?" she desperately asked them.  
  
"He's doing fine even though he lost quite a bit of blood. He's at the hospital right now, recovering," Jake told her.  
  
Michelle sighed as Gracer put on a confused look.  
  
"What's wrong with Donovan?" he asked.  
  
"We were attacked earlier and he got shot. Michelle should be with him now. There could be a connection between the thefts and this shooting!" Monica told the officer.  
  
Gracer sighed as he rolled his eyes. He waved his hand in the air. "Fine. Take her with you. I'm leaving her in your custody and you are responsible if anything should happen!" Gracer replied as he pointed a finger at them.  
  
"Of course. I assure you she will do nothing bad," Jake assured him.  
  
The four smiled at each other as they walked out of the room. The three led Michelle to the car and they climbed in. Jake started to drive towards the hospital. He looked in the rearview mirror at Michelle.  
  
"It was probably one of Shasa's attempts to stop you from proving my innocence. He's way more stubborn than Frank and willing to do anything to get what he wants. I met him a couple times through school related...things," Michelle told them. "He's almost like Denner."  
  
The three never thought they'd hear that name again. The remainder of the trip was silent as the car was parked and the four climbed out and hurried to Frank's room. Michelle's eyes saddened as she sat by his bed. Alex walked up to the others.  
  
"How on Earth did you get her out of Gracer's grasp?" she quietly asked.  
  
"She's now in our supervision instead of his. Anything goes wrong and it's our responsibility. I don't want to leave either of these two alone. We don't know if those guys will come back and she better not get into any trouble," Jake told the others.  
  
They nodded their heads in agreement.  
  
"Now who wants to take the first watch?" wonder Monica.  
  
"I will," Jake said as he sat in a chair across the room. "You three go get some rest."  
  
Michelle watched the three begin to leave the room.  
  
"Monica," she called out to her.  
  
Monica turned around and looked at the teen in curiosity. "What is it?" she asked.  
  
"Would you do as I asked earlier? Would you go to the docks and ask the people there about me?" Michelle asked her.  
  
"Of course I will though in the morning," Monica replied as she nodded her head. "Now take care."  
  
Michelle and Jake watched them leave.  
  
***  
  
The night went without any problems as Jake, Cody and Alex met in the waiting room.  
  
"Now what are we going to be doing today?" wondered Alex.  
  
"Well, I think Monica's going to go down to the docks today to check out a lead we got from Michelle and I'm going with her. What are you planning Cody?" replied Jake.  
  
"I'm going to do more research that could help us with proving Michelle isn't the one they're after," Cody replied.  
  
"Then I guess I'll stay here with them," Alex said, her eyebrows raised a slight bit as she walked into the room.  
  
The three watched her go before they went to do their own tasks.  
  
***  
  
Monica and Jake walked towards a building near the docks. Jake knocked on the door and they heard a 'come in' before they went inside to see a man sitting behind a desk. He looked up at them and gasped at their presence.  
  
"What do you want?" he quickly asked.  
  
"We just want to ask you a few questions, that's all. You see, we're Federal Agents and we apparently have a mutual friend," Jake told him, showing his badge to the man.  
  
The man looked at it and gave a small sigh of relief.  
  
"Alright, what is it that you want to know about who?" he asked.  
  
"It's about a teen girl, named Michelle," Monica told him.  
  
"Michelle? Michelle Hana? Now Michelle Donovan? She comes here all the time, almost every night usually between 11 and 12. Says she hasn't been able to sleep at night lately though even before that, she still came down here around that time. What about her?" he replied.  
  
"Well, it seems she's being framed for something she says she didn't do. She told us to come see you here, says you can vouch for her. Was she here a couple nights ago, just before midnight?" asked Jake.  
  
"Let me think...I believe she was, I'm not entirely sure. I wasn't here, somebody else was. I'd have to ask whoever was here and get back to you on it," the man told them.  
  
"Thank you for your cooperation. We'll get in contact with you again," Jake told them before he and Monica left the building.  
  
They climbed into the car and headed towards the hospital.  
  
"Looks like she was telling the truth about the troubled sleep. Now all we need is proof that she was there on the night that Frank found her sneaking back into the apartment," Monica told Jake.  
  
"Yeah, though that's not what I'm worried about," Jake replied.  
  
"Is it with Michelle again? If it is, I'm not surprised. Lately, when you've gotten worried, it's been connected with Michelle somehow," Monica said with a smile.  
  
"You know me. Last night, Michelle mentioned about the video. I think we should ask her about it again," Jake told her.  
  
***  
  
Alex was reading a book. She glanced up from it to see Michelle asleep in the chair. She returned back to the book but before she could continue, she heard a groan come from the bed. She immediately put down the book and hurried to Frank's side.  
  
"Frank," she said.  
  
He opened his eyes and looked at her as she hovered over him. "What happened?" he quietly asked.  
  
"You passed out, that's what happened. You lost too much blood from that wound. We had to bring you to the hospital," Alex explained to him as Michelle rushed to her side.  
  
Frank's gaze went to the teen.  
  
"How did you get here?" he wondered.  
  
"She's under our supervision now. We told Gracer you were shot and he allowed her to come here, provided we take the responsibility if anything happens," Alex replied.  
  
Monica and Jake walked into the room. Alex and Michelle turned to face them.  
  
"So how'd it go?" asked Michelle.  
  
"Went alright. The man who was there said he'll have to check with the one who was working that night you were there," Jake told them.  
  
The doctor walked in and saw the group.  
  
"Hi everybody. How's Mr. Donovan doing this morning?" he said.  
  
"At least he's awake," Alex told him as the doctor walked over to Frank's injured arm.  
  
"When can I leave?" wondered Frank.  
  
"When can you leave? Probably not for a couple of days until we make certain that you're alright," the doctor replied.  
  
"Not soon enough if you ask me," Frank quietly said.  
  
Monica walked up to Michelle and put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Michelle turned to look at her.  
  
"What is it?" Michelle asked.  
  
"Could you come out into the hall? I've got a question for you," Monica replied.  
  
The two walked out and the teen waited for the questions that were coming.  
  
"Michelle, about that tape..." Monica started.  
  
"It's a school project, nothing more," the teen replied.  
  
Cody walked down the hall and up to them. The two looked at him.  
  
"Hi everybody. How're things going?" he asked them.  
  
"Though there is a couple things I have to ask of you and the others," Michelle suddenly told them.  
  
The two looked at each other.  
  
"Sure, what is it?" replied Cody.  
  
"Go see my teacher and find out when that project was assigned. Then watch the rest of the tape. You'll understand why once you do and there are two things I think you should know. First; go back to Freddy's at the docks. You'll find more than what you did before; and secondly; I never stole from women," Monica told them.  
  
Cody and Monica's eyes grew in surprise as the teen walked back into the room to Frank.  
  
TBC... 


	6. Finding Out Some Answers

"What did she mean by that?" asked Cody.  
  
"I'm not entirely sure what she meant by that. She never stole from women? We'll figure it out sooner or later but Frank's safety comes first," Monica told him as they stood by the door as Jake and Alex walked out of the room.  
  
"They wanted to check out his wound and they said she could stay in with them," Alex told them as they looked at Monica and Cody. "Um, what's wrong?"  
  
"It's Michelle. She gave us a heck of a place to start looking," Cody replied.  
  
"What's wrong?" Jake asked cautiously.  
  
"She just told us some things that might help us with the case. We have to check them out ASAP," Monica told them.  
  
***  
  
Frank opened his eyes to see Michelle asleep by the bed. Jake was sitting in a chair at the end of the bed.  
  
"Hi Frank. How're you feeling?" Jake told him.  
  
"I'm fine. Just want to get out of here and help Mika," he replied.  
  
"So do the rest of us Frank," Jake replied as he saw Frank reach an arm out for Michelle. "She's hardly left your side since she arrived. She's been so worried about you as have we. I think right now, she's exhausted."  
  
Frank gave a small sigh as he placed his hand on her arm.  
  
"Hopefully, I'll be able to get out tomorrow," Frank said.  
  
"Tomorrow?" Jake repeated with a smile.  
  
Frank nodded as he closed his eyes.  
  
"Tomorrow," Frank told him quietly.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Monica, Jake and Cody walked into the hallway to see Alex and Michelle waiting outside the door.  
  
"What's going on? What happened since you took over for me?" wondered Jake.  
  
"They're letting him out. They said he was alright to leave and the fact he persuaded them to do so," Alex explained to them.  
  
"He's nuts! He just got shot! But one should expect something like this from him though. He was talking about leaving today, last night," Jake said.  
  
"Figures. That's Frank Donovan for you," Alex agreed as Monica gave a small laugh and Michelle smiled.  
  
"By the way, the windows at The Nest were fixed yesterday," Cody mentioned to the others as he shuffled through the papers he had in his hands.  
  
"What are those Cody?" asked Michelle.  
  
"Oh these? These are the lists that I found that my team seems to think is totally worthless," he replied as he stopped to look at a page. "Thought I could make a connection but right now I'm not."  
  
Michelle nodded and mouthed 'okay' as she turned towards the now opening door. Frank walked out of the room, arm in a sling.  
  
"You ready to go home Frank?" Michelle asked him.  
  
"Yes, I'm ready to get out of this place," he told her as they headed out of the hospital.  
  
"And you're going to take it easy, right?" asked Monica.  
  
"Of course I am," he replied. "Why would you think otherwise?"  
  
"Because we know how you think, that's why," snickered Michelle. "Especially me."  
  
***  
  
Frank carefully sat down in the couch in The Nest as the rest of his team stood, thinking about what to do next. Michelle sat on the floor, her back against the front of the couch.  
  
"So what do we do now? Wait until those guys show up again?" wondered Alex. "We can't let that happen!"  
  
"No, we can't, but we are we supposed to do? We don't know what they know about us," Frank told them.  
  
"Maybe we could stay here for a few nights. I know it sounds silly but it was a suggestion," Cody piped up.  
  
Jake, Frank and Alex all gave him glares as Monica was gazing out the window. She was still thinking about what Michelle told her.  
  
'I never stole from women'.  
  
"What does that mean? And does it supposed to help this?" she asked herself quietly as Alex walked over to her.  
  
"Anything wrong Monica?" she asked.  
  
Monica faced her with a slightly startled look.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about something," she replied as she faced the others.  
  
"We should get going with this investigation," Frank told them as he shifted his position. "Cody, think you can try and look more up?"  
  
Cody nodded and immediately headed for the computer.  
  
"I'm going to Michelle's school. I'm going to ask the staff about this Jenna girl," Monica told them before heading towards the door.  
  
"While you're there, could you get any homework I might have?" Michelle asked her.  
  
"Yes, of course," Monica replied.  
  
"Alex, better go with her," Jake told the other woman.  
  
Alex nodded as she followed Monica to the car. The four watched them leave the parking lot. Frank shifted his position again and a soft sigh escaped his lips. Jake looked over at Michelle, who rummaged through the bag.  
  
"What're you looking for Michelle?" Jake asked with a smile.  
  
"To see what we have here. I'm probably the most qualified to change the bandages on Frank's arm," she replied as she continued to look through the bag.  
  
Jake smiled at the comment before nodding and heading towards Cody.  
  
"So how're things coming?" wondered Jake.  
  
"Good. I know you and the others don't think these names are important, but I'm still keeping track of them," Cody replied.  
  
Jake shook his head and sighed.  
  
"I'll never believe you Cody. Well, what have you got so far?" Jake said.  
  
"Well, here's a map of the city. Those red dots on the screen represent the thefts that Michelle did during her reign as 'Silent Stalker'. I just started on the other list, which are the blue dots, are the most recent ones," Cody replied.  
  
Jake looked at the screen and narrowed his eyes as he gazed over the screen.  
  
"That doesn't make sense Cody. Why are a couple of the blue dots all the way over there?" Jake told him as he pointed at the screen.  
  
Cody looked to where he was pointing.  
  
"That's something I have to figure out. I'm not entirely sure yet but once I get all these other ones in, we'll be able to have a better look at this," Cody replied before he continued to type.  
  
Jake was very curious about that as he sat down on the couch beside Frank.  
  
***  
  
Monica and Alex walked into the school and into the principal's office. She looked up at them.  
  
"Don't tell me. This has something to do with Michelle," she said.  
  
"Not really. We've come to ask you about one of your other students. A certain Jenna Shasa. What's she like?" replied Alex.  
  
"Jenna? What has she done?" the woman before hem wondered, sounding the least bit surprised.  
  
"Well, Michelle's in some trouble and she didn't do it. She thought Jenna might've been the one to do it. She may be wrong but we're here to find out," Monica replied.  
  
The principal looked between the two before sighing.  
  
"Listen, there's something you should know about these two. There's been a rivalry between them for years now. Michelle's still one to fear to a degree but she can't compare to Jenna now. I think she took over Michelle's spot in the school as number one when she got adopted," she explained to them.  
  
Alex and Monica were both surprised as they looked at each other.  
  
"Do you mind if we ask around to the teachers?" wondered Monica.  
  
"Sure, go right ahead," the principal replied before the two walked out of the room.  
  
The two headed towards Michelle's homeroom.  
  
"Why are we stopping here again?" wondered Alex.  
  
"Michelle wanted me to get any work for her and she told me to go check when that project was assigned," Monica replied as the teacher answered the door.  
  
"Hello?" the teacher said as he allowed the two to walk into his empty classroom.  
  
"Hi, we've come to ask a few things of you. First, there's a project that your class is apparently working on, one of Michelle's classes. Something dealing with everyday life, maybe," Monica started.  
  
"Oh yes, that one. That one was assigned not two weeks ago. I'm surprised Michelle's started it so fast," he said with a smile.  
  
Alex and Monica looked at each other with slightly surprised looks.  
  
***  
  
"Listen, Jake, we're serious. The project was assigned less than two weeks ago," Alex told him over the phone.  
  
"Yeah, so what?" he replied.  
  
"The thefts have been going on for over a month now," Alex said.  
  
"Doesn't mean a thing at the moment," Jake told her before hanging up the phone.  
  
Alex sighed as she looked at the phone.  
  
"He didn't listen. Doesn't see that the camera wasn't everywhere that each of the crimes took place," she told Monica.  
  
"And we all know Michelle always had a bit of a fascination with cameras," Monica agreed as they drove into the parking lot.  
  
***  
  
It was now late at night and Monica was up for her watch. She gazed over the others in the room. Frank was on the couch. Michelle was on the floor next to him. She told them she felt fine. Alex, Cody and Jake were all sleeping on cots.  
  
Her stare went over to the computer, which was still on and walked over to it. She narrowed her eyes as she looked over the map, the dots and the legend.  
  
"That doesn't make sense. If Michelle's are red and other's are blue, that simply doesn't make sense. If someone was trying to frame someone, they'd try more to get all the major details correct in the style, not the minor ones! Thank you Cody! I'll never doubt you again!" she whispered to herself as she flipped through the papers he left by the computer. "We're on our way now!"  
  
TBC... 


	7. One Dead End Turns Into Something Else

Alex was the first to awake. She sat up to see Monica by the computer. She rubbed her eyes as she walked over to Monica.  
  
"I never thought of you as a computer person Monica. That's more Cody's work than yours," Alex told her with a yawn.  
  
"I know. I'm not doing anything to it, I'm just looking over the evidence that Cody found us," Monica replied as she held up the papers.  
  
"Those lists? How?" Alex wondered, amazed.  
  
"Take a look at the dots on the screen. Some of the blue dots are so far from the others it's not even funny," Monica said to her.  
  
"So?" wondered the other woman.  
  
"Well let me put it this way, if you're impersonating someone, wouldn't you do things in the same manner as that person?" Monica asked Alex.  
  
"Well, yes of course. That would be the whole idea of impersonation," Alex said with a small laugh.  
  
"Then why wouldn't you do it the same places as the one you're portraying? By the look of this, Michelle stuck between the Death Alley region and police station, which is where we first met her," Monica explained as she stood up.  
  
They heard a groan coming from the couch. They looked to see Frank slowly rising. Michelle immediately got up from her position and started to help him.  
  
"Alright, let me check the wound," she quietly told him as Jake and Cody slowly awoke from their sleep.  
  
The two walked over to Alex and Monica.  
  
"Cody, I have to thank you for leaving the computer on," Monica told Cody.  
  
"You're welcome, but why?" he replied as he looked at her in confusion.  
  
"Well, I managed to figure out something to prove that Michelle didn't do this. We need to know if Jenna was ever seen in this area right here and if Michelle was not," Monica replied as she pointed out the one area where three blue dots were.  
  
"We also have to check out the docks again by Michelle's suggestion," Cody blurted out.  
  
"That we do. We know her project was assigned just two weeks ago and the spree has been going on for over a month. Now this. We have to find out more about this place," Alex said to them. "See which kids hang around there."  
  
The other three nodded.  
  
"Alright. Cody and I will go back to the docks and see what you can find. Monica, you and Alex going to that neighbourhood," Jake ordered.  
  
"But what about Frank and Michelle?" wondered Alex.  
  
"They'll be able to take care of themselves and we don't have to worry about her leaving him. She cares about Frank in a way that we'll never understand and I don't think she will leave his side if he's in trouble," Jake replied. "Besides, you know how he works with her. He's tough with her yet he knows when to back off and let her do her thing. He knows that now's not one of those times."  
  
The four nodded before they went out the door.  
  
***  
  
Cody and Jake walked down to the docks. They walked inside the building to see a man at the table. He looked up and saw them. He put down the pen and gave a small sigh.  
  
"You're back. How can I help you again? By the way, the name's Freddy," the man asked them.  
  
"We know. Michelle told us. Well, first you can tell us if Michelle was here that night, You said you'd find out for us," Jake replied as Cody started to look around the place.  
  
The man's expression turned into one of recognition.  
  
"Yes, I remember though I can't tell you," he finally told them.  
  
"And why can't you tell us Freddy?" Jake asked him, his eyes widening in surprise.  
  
"Because the one who was here that night is here now and she can answer you," Freddy replied, pointing to a nearby door. "She's in there."  
  
Jake gave a small smile as he and Cody headed towards the door.  
  
"Oh and one more thing. She's very particular with who she speaks to though when you mention that you're friends with Shelly, as she's known around here, she'll talk. Plus her name's Maya," Freddy told them just before they opened the door.  
  
Cody nodded as they walked in to find a woman sitting at another desk. She glanced up at them before returning to her work.  
  
"Hello Maya," Jake told her.  
  
When they still received no answer, Jake continued.  
  
"Maya, we're here to help clear a friend's name. Maybe you've heard of her. Her name's Michelle. Michelle Hana. Also known as Shelly," Jake continued.  
  
Her eyes looked up at them before placing her pen on the desk and looking at them.  
  
"What about her?" she asked.  
  
"She's in trouble with the law and we need your help in proving she's innocent. We were told she was here a few nights ago," Jake explained.  
  
"Yes, she was although I can't see why you have to prove she was here," Maya told them as she leaned back in her chair.  
  
"There're many reasons. Maya, where do you keep the tapes that are in the surveillence cameras?" asked Cody as he looked at one corner of the ceiling.  
  
Maya was a bit stunned as she followed his gaze.  
  
"In the back but you're wasting your time," Maya said as she pointed the way to a door behind her.  
  
Cody looked over at Jake.  
  
"Well, let's go and see what we can find then," Cody finallly told him before they headed back.  
  
***  
  
Alex and Monica walked up to a ballfield . They looked around to see several teenagers around the area. They walked up to a small group.  
  
"Hello everybody. We don't want to take too much of your time, we just want to ask you a question," Monica told them.  
  
"Sure lady, what is it?" replied one.  
  
"All we want to know is if you've ever seen this teen around here before," Alex said as Monica held out a picture to them.  
  
They all looked at it before shaking their heads.  
  
"No, she doesn't come around here. We only see her at a distance in other parts of town," another replied as they gave the photo back to them.  
  
"Though we do see another Asian girl around here. Jenna. She's around here all the time," a third put in with a small laugh.  
  
"Thank you very much. You've been a great help to us," Monica replied with a small smile before she and Alex left the group.  
  
"Well, out day has been productive so far. We managed to prove that Michelle doesn't come to this part of town," Alex mused.  
  
"Yes, we did. I hope Jake and Alex had as much luck as we did," Monica agreed as she finished jotting down some notes.  
  
***  
  
Frank tried to hide the winces as Michelle changed the bandages on his arm.  
  
"Hold still Frank. I need to finish this," Michelle told him as he tried to move his arm slightly away from her. "I know you're not the type to complain but I've become used to when you are and this is one of those times. Remember what I told you the last time I was doing this?"  
  
Frank remained silent. He remembered her telling him about the incident when she was ten. He gave a sigh as he looked away from her. She finished putting on the bandages and helped him with his shirt.  
  
"Here we go," she said as the task was completed.  
  
Frank laid down on the couch. He put an arm over his eyes as Michelle sat down by the bed, on the floor.  
  
"You know, you get in whole lot of trouble just for one person," he quietly told her.  
  
"You should've seen me in school these past two years. I got in trouble of some sort pretty much every day," she replied as she picked up a book.  
  
She began to read it before hearing a noise outside the door. She stood up and walked over to the door. She glanced back over at Frank, who was more alert now and he nodded. She put her hand on the doorknob and opened it.  
  
Only to reveal several men. They barged into the building, knives in hand. Michelle had fallen to the ground. She awkwardly landed on her ankle and she cried out in pain. She crawled away from them, her back hitting a wall. She was shaking a bit in fear and it scared her a lot. She rarely felt fear. She watched as two men walked up to Frank, who was still lying on the couch.  
  
"This is too easy," the man snickered as he raised the knife in his hands.  
  
"No!" screamed Michelle as she watched the scene.  
  
TBC... 


	8. Casts, Crutches and Painkillers

Michelle glanced between the two men in front of her. They weren't paying any attention to her. They were watching the other mando what he was doing. It was then that she decided to clumsily climb to her feet. She ran past the two and headed for the one about to attack Frank.  
  
"You will die here and now," the man laughed as he started to bring down the knife.  
  
Frank closed his eyes and waited for the attack but it never came. He heard a grunt and a thud. He opened his eyes to see the man on the floor, Michelle on top of him.  
  
"Frank, get out of here!" she cried at him.  
  
He quickly stood up and immediately felt a wave of dizziness. He tried to walk away from them but he was slower than what he liked with all the pain he now felt. He looked back to see Michelle being pulled off of the man she tackled by the two other men and subsequently punched in the face. The man climbed off the floor and started to head towards Frank again, angrier than ever.  
  
"That was a mistake," he said as he prepared to throw the knife at Frank.  
  
He threw it at him and Frank managed to get out of the way though not enough. The knife sliced his arm and Frank leaned up against the wall in pain. He gasped as he watched Michelle being forced to stand across the room. He could tell she was in much pain from her leg.  
  
"Leave her out of this," he told them through gritted teeth.  
  
"Never. She's here and so she's part of it," the man replied with a smile as he lifted the knife from off the ground. "You're going to die and so is she."  
  
He started his second attack on Frank when the door opened, revealing Alex and Monica. They were surprised at the scene. Alex recovered her senses and pulled out her gun, aiming it at the strange men before her. They laughed.  
  
"Do you think that you, one woman, could ever stop us?" the man asked her with a laugh.  
  
"What about a man and a woman?" came a voice.  
  
The group looked to see Jake in the doorway, gun in hand. Cody was behind him.  
  
"Walk away from them and noone gets hurt," Jake told them.  
  
"You're still outnumbered three to two," one snickered.  
  
At that moment, Michelle freed herself from the men's grasp and hurried as fast as she could towards Frank. She grabbed his gun and aimed it at them.  
  
"Make that three on three," she told them.  
  
The three men were slightly surprised at this action. They stared at the determined teenager holding the gun.  
  
"Don't make us do this," she told them, breathing heavily as she stood there.  
  
The three men found themselves surrounded by the group.  
  
"I think we better give up boss," one said.  
  
The man stared at him before giving him an answer by throwing his gun to the ground. The other two did the same.  
  
***  
  
Soon, the men were walking out the door in handcuffs. Frank was on the couch, being tended to by Michelle. The injury was nothing she couldn't take care of and she finished putting the bandages on his arm.  
  
"There we go. All done," she told him. "At least we don't have to go to the hospital."  
  
"That's always a good thing," agreed Cody as he walked to her side.  
  
Michelle stood up and tried to move forward with no success. She cried out in pain a she fell to her knees. Cody immediately knelt by her as they others became worried.  
  
"Michelle..." he started.  
  
"I'm fine," she angrily argued as she tried to stand up.  
  
She walked a few steps before falling to one knee. Cody hurried to her side.  
  
"No, you're not. You need help," Cody told her.  
  
"Her ankle. Check her ankle," came Frank's voice.  
  
Cody glanced at him before looking at the teen's leg. He saw her ankle shaking terribly. He gently took her sneaker off and she gasped as he did so.  
  
"Ankle's no doubt broken. We've got to go get a cast on it now," Cody said as Jake walked over to them.  
  
"Leave me alone. I'm fine," she told them as she tried to stand up.  
  
She did so as she faced the couch before she collapsed headfirst into it. Jake and Cody rushed to help her. They helped her into a sitting position on it beside Frank. She rested her head against Frank's shoulder as her ankle was inspected.  
  
"Michelle, I can't believe you told us this was fine. This looks bad," she was told by Alex. "We'd better get you to the hospital."  
  
Michelle finally relented and nodded her head.  
  
***  
  
Michelle hobbled out of the hospital on crutches, the others by her side. She didn't seem too happy by the turn of events.  
  
"What's wrong? We thought you'd be happy," Alex said.  
  
"And has anyone ever told you I hate casts, crutches and painkillers? They slow me down," she replied.  
  
"You're going to have to explain that one to us later and it's not our fault the bone was so out of place that it required painkillers so you wouldn't feel it being put back into place?" Jake told her as they carefully climbed into the car. "Besides, that's some shiner you're got too."  
  
Michelle only gave a small smile at the comment before they headed back to The Nest.  
  
***  
  
Michelle and Frank found their way to the couch and sat down.  
  
"So what's you find out?" asked Frank.  
  
"Well, the teens around the area Alex and I were in said that Michelle was never around that area but Jenna was," Monica said.  
  
"We talked to the one that Freddy said saw Michelle. She indeed see her and we even got a video tapeshowing that she was there," Jake replied as they held up the tape.  
  
"Reminds me. I never got a chance to watch that camera yet," Monica said.  
  
She looked at Michelle, who fell asleep by Frank. He watched as Monica quietly walked up to them and grabbed the camera from underneath the couch. She opened the viewer and began to watch the video.  
  
"I wonder why she wanted us to see this?" Alex wondered as she, Jake and Cody gathered around her as she walked from the couch.  
  
Cody shrugged as the images began to play before them. The pictures were nothing new to them until they came to some that resembled the docks. They played further to show the woman Jake and Cody saw earlier that day. They glanced at each other in shock.  
  
"She was there that night. We've got more than enough proof for Gracer. He possibly can't hold Michelle responsible for this anymore. Besides, if any more occur, we know she can't do them because of her ankle," Jake gasped.  
  
"Now all we have to do is find Jenna and have more proof it was her," Alex said as she glanced over at the sleeping Michelle.  
  
The others followed her gaze and nodded in agreement.  
  
TBC... 


	9. The Final Piece Falls into Place

"What should we do now then? They probably know we're here. They'll come back and try to kill us again," wondered Alex.  
  
"Then we'll have to leave. It'll be slow going because of Frank and Michelle," Jake said.  
  
"When do we leave then?" wondered Monica as she looked over at the two on the couch.  
  
The others followed her gaze to see Michelle was sound asleep, her head on Frank's lap and he was trying to kepp his head up though his eyes were half closed.  
  
"They're exhausted and she might still be feeling after effects from the medication she received earlier for her ankle," Monica said.  
  
"And I've never seen him so tired," Cody mentioned.  
  
"Then we stay here for the night and in the morning, we leave and try to find those people responsible. I suggest we directly question Jenna and her father. We all know now they're of one of the few Asian families around here and we only knew to ask them because of Michelle," Jake said as he started towards the door. "And until then, noone leaves alone and stays here alone."  
  
The others nodded and prepared themselves for another night.  
  
***  
  
Cody awoke to a noise in the room. He sat up to see Michelle was off the couch and across the room. He got up as quietly and quickly as possible and over to her.  
  
"Michelle, what're you doing?" he quietly asked her.  
  
"What does it look like Cody? I'm trying to get to your computer," she replied.  
  
"Without your crutches?" he wondered.  
  
She nodded as she managed to climb into the chair with some help from Cody.  
  
"I said earlier that I work better without casts, crutches and painkillers. They slow me down. They always have, they always will," she explained as she turned on the moniter.  
  
"You've had a cast before?" asked Cody, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"I'm probably one of the only teenagers my age who's had two broken ankles. I'll explain the whole story later," she replied.  
  
She started to type once she finished talking. Cody watched her as she began to bring up information on the screen before her. He narrowed her eyes.  
  
"I'm not following what you're doing," he finally told her.  
  
"I'm helping you, that's what I'm doing. I led you to the cameras, both mine, which my parents gave me just days before they were murdered, and the one down at Freddy's. I led you to Jenna and the project. Though you don't understand one thing," she replied. "Did you find anything about those people who were stolen from?"  
  
Cody shook his head as he realized they all had forgotten to check.  
  
"Well, I'll help you out with that and with Jenna," she replied as information popped onto the screen about Jenna. "But I'm more concerned about the latter right now."  
  
Cody started to read the information about the other Asian teenager.  
  
"Some profile she's got. Looks like she's just as bad as you were at one point," he mused as he looked over the computer screen.  
  
"She's risen to power in the school ever since Frank took me in though I am still feared there. I can tell you what you want to know about her and possibly how to prove it was her," she replied as she continued with her task.  
  
Soon, she stopped with what she was doing and rubbed her eyes. Cody put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Maybe you should get back to sleep. I'll finish whatever you started," he told her.  
  
She nodded as she started to stand up and Cody reached out to help her. He aided her in walking back to the couch. She returned to her cot and fell back asleep.  
  
Cody returned back to the computer and looked at the screen before him.  
  
"Let me see here..." he started as he began to type. "This kid is someone to find I see. This kid's already got somewhat of an impressive record with the police. Shoplifting, assault, mainly. Even several occasions of pickpocketing."  
  
He realized what he just said.  
  
"Shoplifting? Pick-pocketing? Stealing! That's similar to what Michelle did only her speacialty was only pick-pocketing! I guess the other could be done. Michelle, you're a genius," he said as he continued on.  
  
***  
  
Alex awoke to seeing Cody at his desk, vigorously typing at the computer.  
  
"How long have you been up?" she asked him with a yawn.  
  
"A few hours already. I think we may have found something thanks to Michelle. Jenna Shasa's has hsd run-ins with the police before. Not only that, she's almost never been to Death Alley region. She had no reason to because she lives several miles away! Not only that, it's been confirmed that Jenna's been seen in the region we're concerned about," he explained.  
  
Alex looked at the desk and saw the two lists of names. She picked them up and looked over at them.  
  
"We still have these lists? Why?" she wondered as she looked at him.  
  
"There's something missing and I have a feeling that'll fill a piece of it," he replied as he looked at the names of Jenna's victims.  
  
Alex glanced over the names of the most recent attacks.  
  
"Looks like something Michelle would do though. There're all men's names. Well, sort of," she told him.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Cody as he looked at her.  
  
"There's a number of names that are unisex, like my name," Alex replied as she handed him the papers.  
  
Cody grabbed them and looked over at them before putting one of the names into the computer. A woman's picture showed up.  
  
"I don't believe it! The girl goofed up! Look at these names. All of Michelle's victims are male, the other's are mixed," Cody said with a gasp as he looked at Jenna's victims. "And her victims are mixed as well.  
  
"That's what we're looking for then! Let's go see Gracer then to show that Michelle didn't do this and Jenna probably did!" Alex agreed as the others slowly awoke.  
  
Michelle stayed asleep right where she was and Frank stayed sitting on the couch as Jake and Monica walked over to them.  
  
"What have we got?" asked Jake.  
  
"More proof that Michelle didn't do this and possible evidence that Jenna did," Alex replied.  
  
"Then let's go see Gracer today. We've got everything we need," Frank called over to them as Michelle yawned and slowly sat up.  
  
"You found more? Good," Michelle said as she grabbed the crutches.  
  
***  
  
They showed Gracer what they had found. He sighed as he quickly went over it.  
  
"Looks like you're off the hook Michelle," he told them as he dropped the papers on the table.  
  
Everyone smiled before walking out the door.  
  
***  
  
What'll we do with Jenna?" mentioned Frank.  
  
"She's like me. You don't find her, she finds you," Michelle replied as they drove back into the parking lot  
  
They drove in only to find several people standing outside.  
  
"Hello everybody. My name is John Shasa. This is Jenna and you're not leaving here alive," the man at the front of the group told them.  
  
Michelle growled as she and Jenna got into a staring contest.  
  
"You will die for making my father go to jail," Jenna yelled at MIchelle.  
  
"It wasn't my fault! He did it himself!" she snarled.  
  
The men each aimed a gun at the members of the team as John pulled out a gun and aimed it at Frank.  
  
"You will pay for taking in the brat," he said with an evil smile.  
  
TBC.. 


	10. 'Smile, You're on Candid Camera'

"We've been watching you. We know you've found all the evidence you need to prove Michelle wasn't the one doing this. I've waited too long and planned too much to see my hard work go down the drain. It's too bad the brat had to lead you right to us," Shasa told them.  
  
"Do it Dad, do it. Kill them all," Jenna persuaded him.  
  
Shasa smiled as he looked between the group of six before him.  
  
"You will pay for this Silent Stalker. Jenna did a great job of impersonating you. She has the looks and talent to pull it off. Too bad those men I sent earlier didn't do the job. Now it's my turn to finish it," Shasa told them as his finger began to pull the triggor back.  
  
Michelle saw this movement and her eyes lit up as if she remembered something important.  
  
"Hey, Shasa, listen to me before you do that. I've got something to tell you," she yelled at him.  
  
Shasa turned towards her with curiousity.  
  
"Out with it then," he yelled at her.  
  
She pointed towards the building and yelled out in Japanese. Not knowing what she said, everyone turned to where she was pointing, wondering what she was talking about. The team saw their chance as Jake and Alex whipped out their guns and shot the men aiming guns at them.  
  
Shasa was the first to realize what had happened.  
  
"It's a trick!" he yelled.  
  
He growled before he managed to get past everyone and aim his gun again at Frank, who pulled out his gun and was prepared for anything.  
  
"You won't live past this day," Shasa told him as he ran up to the man.  
  
Frank tried to move out of the way but he couldn't hurry fast enough. The man kneed him in the stomach before punching him in the face. Frank fell to the ground in pain as the man stood over him. Frank looked over at Michelle, who was facing off against Jenna.  
  
The Japanese-American was doing pretty well with only one good leg. She held the crutch like a weapon and she blocked the attacks she was getting from Jenna. Michelle was moving fairly quickly for someone who had a cast on their foot.  
  
"You will die Stalker," Jenna snarled at her.  
  
"No, you will go down," Michelle replied.  
  
Cody and Monica were looking on as Michelle and Jenna fought against each other. It stayed that way until Michelle stumbled and fell to the ground. She crawled away until her back hit the wall. Jenna towered over her as she raised her hands, a gun in hand.  
  
"There will be no more suffering on our account," she said.  
  
But before she could continue, the gun was knocked out of her hands and two arms grasped her from behind.  
  
"Let go of me! Let go of me!" she cried.  
  
"Think I'm that crazy? I don't think so," Cody smirked as he held onto the angry teenager.  
  
Frank could'n't help but grimace in pain as the man towered over him. Shasa snickered.  
  
"There's noone who can help you now. With you and your friends dead, there's nothing I have to worry about," he said to him.  
  
"Hey Shasa, didn't you hear what I said before?" Michelle called over to him.  
  
"Stop stalling me! I will kill him and all of you! You didn't say anything of importance either," the man yelled at her as he aimed the gun at her.  
  
Monica knelt beside Michelle as Jake and Alex aimed their guns at John Shasa. He glanced at them.  
  
"You shoot me, he's a dead man," he threatened.  
  
"Stop this now and we won't have to shoot," Alex warned him.  
  
He didn't listen as he pulled the triggor twice. One hit Frank in his bad arm, the other sliced his leg. He gasped in pain. He attempted to stand up but couldn't.  
  
"I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen to me. Now you're in for it," Michelle called over to him.  
  
Sirens could be heard in the distance and Shasa grew angry.  
  
"What did you do?" he demanded. "How'd they know we were here?"  
  
"We did nothing. People nearby probably saw us," Alex replied.  
  
He tried to run but was tackled by Jake, who kept him at bay until the police arrived at the scene. Alex hurried over to Frank to see the extent of his injuries. She saw he was trying to stand up.  
  
"Don't move Frank, help's on the way," she told him.  
  
***  
  
Both Jenna and John Shasa were piled piled into the police car as the officers began to question the team. Cody had helped Michelle to her feet and handed her the crutches.  
  
"You alright?" he asked.  
  
She nodded as she headed towards the door.  
  
"Tell them to wait a moment. I've got something for them," Michelle asked him.  
  
Cody gave a nod before going over to one of the police officers and telling them. Cody watched her head inside.  
  
'I think I'll go in and help her,' he thought to himself as he headed inside.  
  
He found her trying to lug her video camera outside. He hurried up to her and grabbed the camera from her.  
  
"If you think you can carry that out, I don't know what to think," Cody told her as they started out the door.  
  
He held the door open for Michelle before walking over to the police and handing the camera to them.  
  
"I believe you might want to have this to review. It contains some evidence to convict these two," he told them.  
  
Michelle hobbled over to the car and stared inside at the two. She spoke in Japanese, confusing the two still.  
  
"What does that supposed to mean?" demanded Shasa, screaming out the question.  
  
"You really want to know? I'll tell you what it means and it is something of importance. 'Smile. You're on candid camera'," she replied before starting to laugh as she moved away from the vehicle.  
  
The father and daughter looked at each other in disgust.  
  
TBC...  
  
Author's Note-Sorry, couldn't resist with the 'Candid Camera' reference. It's a good show. 


	11. One Way or Another

Jake paced back and forth in the waiting room. The rest of the team was sitting, as was Michelle, when a doctor walked up to them. Everyone but Michelle walked up to him.  
  
"How is he?" Alex quietly asked.  
  
"He'll do fine. All he needs is some time to rest," the doctor told them.  
  
"Good. Any idea when he'll be allowed to leave?" wondered Jake.  
  
"If he does well, probably in a couple of days," the doctor replied. "That is if there's someone who'll make sure he doesn't do anything that'll hurt him even further."  
  
Monica and Cody glanced back at Michelle, who gave a knowing smile. They walked up to her.  
  
"So what're you going to do until Frank gets home?" asked Cody.  
  
"You're asking me? Well, I'll probably have to wing it alone until he gets back," she replied. "I've been alone before only this time, I've actually got a place to stay."  
  
"Michelle, stay with me until Frank gets better," offered Cody with a smile. "I honestly think that computer skill of yours could be improved upon. I'll help you if you want me to."  
  
The teen was surprised as her eyes widened.  
  
"Sure, I'd be glad to," she replied as she climbed to her feet.  
  
***  
  
A couple days later, Frank walked out of the hospital, Michelle by his side.  
  
"I'm glad you weren't the one who was doing all this Mika," he told her as they climbed into the back of Jake's waiting car.  
  
Michelle had Frank agree to let Jake drive them home, since he was unable to and Frank reluctantly did so.  
  
"You already knew Frank, I simply showed you the way," Michelle replied. "Now I really hope the name of the 'Silent Stalker' is left behind me for good this time. I've had it for nearly two years and it's about time I got rid of it."  
  
Jake didn't say a thing during the entire trip. He was happy that the two could try and live as a normal family again.  
  
He dropped them off at their apartment and they headed inside. Frank sat down in the chair as Michelle leaned against the wall beside him.  
  
"I see now that Jenna must've put those wallets in your bookbag at school. So what's going to happen now at school now that she's gotten herself in trouble?" wondered Frank.  
  
"Jenna won't have the same status anymore since she tried to frame me. I've made friends since I changed and everyone in the school still fears me though they know I'm not stupid to do something like that," Michelle replied.  
  
Frank gave a small smile.  
  
"And you're going to have to teach me some Japanese," Frank told her.  
  
Michelle nodded as she started to head towards her room. "Of course," she replied.  
  
"One more thing," Frank called to her.  
  
"Yes?" wondered Michelle.  
  
"We should do something about your camera obsession. Cody said that your parents gave it to you?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, they did. I cherish it everyday," she replied as she headed into her room.  
  
"And of course, you've always got me," Frank called into her.  
  
Michelle poked her head out of the door and raised her eyebrows.  
  
"And I'm the one who'll take care of you when you're sick. Deal with it," she told him with a laugh.  
  
Frank sighed as she went back into her room.  
  
The End  
  
Author's Note-Thanks again Deana. Wouldn't have gotten anywhere without your help. 


End file.
